When the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' was first broadcast in September 1971, the world was a very different place. Digital technology was a distant fantasy. CD's were eleven years away. You bought your music on vinyl.
In 1971, there were no downloads, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no internet. Video technology was in its infancy. In those days, multi-channel television meant BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV. That was it.
Two music shows dominated our screens throughout the 70's and into the 80's. One was 'Top of the Pops', with a format based on the singles chart. The other was 'Old Grey Whistle Test', designed to reflect the massively growing album market. You had to have released an L. P. to appear on 'Whistle Test'. That was the deal. There was nothing else even remotely like it on British TV.
'Whistle Test' was uniquely eclectic, featuring big stadium bands and brand new acts, across a range of styles. From Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield, to Freddie King, Steely Dan, Emmylou Harris and Elton John, the programme delivered the best of its time and premiered artists who went on to sell millions.
The format was amazing, with live performances, concert footage, archive, interviews and filmed reports...every week, forty two weeks of the year, for the best part of sixteen years. The impact of the programme was huge...in a way that is less possible in this multi-format age. 'Whistle Test' became the focus for a whole generation of serious music lovers, because it was all about the music.
The legacy is incredible and this collection is the first of a series, highlighting some of the tracks and performances that created the 'Whistle Test' ethos.
Analogue heaven for the digital age.
Bob Harris.
